Joshua’s Creed had a couple of false starts and remained just a dream for a couple years until writing for the first album began in the winter of 2014. At this point, a drummer was needed to do those arrangements and finally a vocalist to bring voice to the songs. After some changes in the vocalist department and some more recording, the debut album being released in September of 2016. What is not entirely expected is that this project is based out of Kalispell, MT, which for those not familiar with the US is a town in northern Montana near the Canadian border. As pointed out in their bio, this is not where one pictures metal coming from although some cold, wintry death/black metal might fit the environment.
To my ears, Joshua’s Creed would fall into the realm of radio-friendly hard rock. Early on in the opening track, “Alive” their Christian beliefs come out loud and clear, the band certainly is not trying to hide behind clever phrases and nuance. Unfortunately, from time to time the lyrics border on being a bit too oversimplified in addressing various spiritual topics, but I’m not a theologian either, so that is relatively minor quibble. More substantial is the overall mix and production which, while clear, is really thin and lacks power or drive and cohesion. To me it has a very dated feel. I imagine in a live setting things would sound very different, so this may just be an artifact of the recording.
Understanding that this is the band’s debut effort and the various struggles they experienced getting this released, I give them props for staying with it and if they can stay together, I’m sure their sound would mature. For what it’s worth, Derek Close, who does the guitars and bass, also contributed “The Metal Drummer Boy” to the recent Fleas Naughty Dog Vol 4 Christmas compilation and that is a pretty cool song, showing the potential Joshua’s Creed may have.
Written by John Jackson
Rating: 5.5/10
Tracklist:
01. Alive
02. It is Finished
03. The Sky is Falling
04. Choose
05. Four Horsemen
06. Buried in the Womb
07. Consequences
08. God Must Be Crazy
09. House of Cards
10. Where Everything Dies
Band Members:
Dillon Reynolds – Vocals
Derek Close – Guitars, Bass
Tanner Mack – Drum Arrangement & Programming
Record Label: Independent, Sept. 2016
Weblinks: Bandcamp / Facebook / Website
Buy the album here:
Holland: First Paradox
Norway: Nordic Mission